Can't Act Romance
by IsolatedSystem
Summary: There's a massive Halloween party/festival at Indigo Plateau and Ash, Brock and Dawn have been invited. Meanwhile, Misty's been coerced into performing in one of her sisters' shows. Will Ash and Misty meet up and somehow confess their feelings? Of course.


Can't act romance

With Ash – chapter 1

"…all the best acts from around the globe, the hottest trainer battles, the most magnificent contests, and the biggest Halloween party in the world!"

"Dawn you've read the brochure fifty times!"

"Yea but Ash aren't you excited too? We're on the way back to Indigo Plateau, it's been ages, and it's always great when we get there…"

Ash, Brock, Dawn and Pikachu had arrived back in Kanto at Viridian city not two hours ago and, despite Ash's fervent protests about his stomach, neither Dawn nor Brock seemed in the least bit inclined to stop for a bite to eat, and they were now off on the road again, heading towards Indigo Plateau.

"Yea…I am…" Ash said despondently

"Ash? What's up?" Brock asked, a little worried by his friends lack of enthusiasm for such an occasion. this was the biggest celebration of anything very much that had taken place in years, it promised to be a great show, they would have a great time and Ash and Dawn would be able to compete in contests and battles with real recognised professionals, on top of dressing up as ghouls, ghosts and generally having a great time – why wasn't Ash jumping up and down in excitement?!

"Yea I'm fine…I'm tired that's all" Ash replied but, prompted by Pikachu, he followed up with what probably would have been a much more believable excuse  
"I'm hungry"

"Well which?" Dawn asked, giving him a quizzical look

"What do you mean?"

"Are you hungry or tired?"

"Err both?" Ash said, though it sounded as though he was unsure himself. Pikachu sighed and clapped a hand to his head. Ash really could be slow sometimes, if he had chosen one over the other it would have worked but no, no Ash had to go and make himself look suspicious.

"Right…" Dawn said suspiciously

"come on though Ash cheer up, how often does something like this come along" Brock said, clapping Ash on the shoulder in a gesture that he hope to be encouraging, but was surprised when he found the younger boys shoulder seeming slack, not energetic and alive as he usually would be, and he flopped a little under the slight force of Brock's gesture

"Every October" Ash said, sounding a little irritated truth be told, "and I'm tired and hungry!"

"Well…hey look at the brochure, you haven't seen it yet" Dawn said, pushing the small leaflet under Ash's nose showing no intention of letting it drop.  
Ash took it reluctantly and took as long as possible flicking through the pages, not really paying any attention yet he knew that there was, inevitably, one thing that would keep him fixed.  
Dawn had said that he had not had a look at the brochure well…that wasn't entirely true. He had glanced at it on the ferry over as Dawn had left it for a few seconds (a rare parting) and the leaflet had fallen open on one of the program pages.  
The program was not structured alphabetically; in fact it didn't appear to have any structure at all which made the 'coincidence' all the more…troubling was it? anyway the brochure had landed on a page containing a couple of the C-listings and Ash's eyes had strayed down, just perusing a little until he saw that one word, that one mention of a place he thought about more than he would ever let on – the name of Cerulean city.

"Ash? Ash what are you looking at?" Brock asked, noticing Ash staring longingly at one item in particular

"Err…" Ash faltered but he did not recover quickly enough to hide what he had been doing as Dawn took the brochure from him, having noted where he had been looking, and held it for she and Brock to see.

"The Sensational sisters of Cerulean city…" Brock said, quickly realising why Ash must have been attracted by the mention of the name, however Dawn did not know the history in question and so continued the reading

"will be performing live for the audience, a selection of spectacular and 'sensational' under water performances with Pokemon, and a chance for audience participation in the last event…sounds interesting…the three sensational sisters of Cerulean will be joined by a special guest performer in their final piece…the 'mystical mermaid' of Cerulean"

"Huh?!" Ash snapped back to the present, he had not actually read the article and thus had not seen the last sentence.

"Mystical mermaid of Cerulean…who do you reckon that could be" Dawn asked, reading the brochure with a puzzled frown

"Any ideas Ash?" Brock asked, giving Ash a meaningful look which he failed to pick up on, or ignored, either way it would need enforcing

"Um…"

"Oh come on, can't think of anyone? No name come to mind? Not even the slightest idea of who…" Brock continued, intensifying his gaze and even going as far as winking after every significant point to make sure that Ash would not be able to ignore the meaning, nor deny that he had seen the meaning.

"Err…" then it hit him, "oh no way, no way she wouldn't, she'd kill her sisters before they made her do anything like this" Ash said, chuckling even at the concept. He was feeling much more cheerful now for some reason, as though something inside him had suddenly lit up at the prospect of seeing her again…

"Who are we talking about?" Dawn asked, confused

"An old friend. I don't think you ever met her but you've probably heard Ash mention he name about a dozen times" Brock said with a grin

"No I haven't!" Ash replied defensively

"Oooh I thought I heard him talking in his sleep last night…" Dawn began and Ash immediately went bright red. Surely Dawn hadn't… "I did hear him mention one name…once or twice…maybe three or four times…or five…"

"Yea that's probably it" Brock said, his grin widening

"Err M…Mist…Misty?"

"you got it" Brock said, giving Dawn a round of applause

"now you mention it though that wasn't the only time I heard Ash speak about her" Dawn said, catching on to what she thought Brock was getting at and deciding that it would be a good laugh to get in on the act too

"yea you probably would have" Brock replied, "he's been mentioning her more and more lately"

"I have not!" Ash yelled

"oh yes you have" the other two chimed together. no three! Pikachu too had leapt from Ash's shoulder to Brock's and was giving Ash a playful yet accusatory glare

"haven't!"

"have!"

Ash took off at a run down the road, not wanting to have this interrogation prolonged yet the other three it seemed were keen to get at what he had been hiding, and they were running after him now, chasing down the road.  
it was quite funny though Ash had to admit, and it was true, he had been thinking about Misty a lot and, though he hadn't realised just how much he had talked about her, he knew that it was true…what they had most probably come to conclude was true…better not to think about it. after all, he couldn't even be sure this 'mystical mermaid' person was Misty. from what he could remember (and that was every little detail since he spent so much of his time remembering) Misty was definitely not keen on having to perform in her sisters play things, though she was actually quite talented, and beautiful…

Ash stopped still in the middle of the road as his memories flooded over him again, eyes becoming hazy and he almost dropped completely out of the world.  
Bock, Dawn and Pikachu caught up with him not long after and the group moved at a slow walk, Ash moving again but he didn't seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention as to where, and he maintained that dreamy expression.

"aww isn't it sweet" Dawn commented

"yea…you know though, if she isn't at this party, it could hit Ash pretty hard" Brock said, a flicker of concern crossing his face as the prospect hit him

"really? he likes her that much?" Dawn asked. it was safe to discuss this now, even with Ash walking along right next to them. it was clear that he wasn't paying attention; he was so deep in dream world that he might as well not even be there

"well it's always hit him hard when she's left. we travelled with her for most of our journey so far, and I think she and Ash made a pretty strong bond. she's come and gone about three times since then and every time Ash is worse when she's gone" Brock said gravely

"poor guy" Dawn said sadly

"hmm…well let's be positive. with any luck she'll be there and Ash can be happy again. I'd like to see her again too, Misty always seems to…make the party louder" Brock said with a smile, choosing his words carefully

"right…" Dawn said, confused, but she imagined it would probably be something quite funny.

the group continued walking down the road, drawing closer and closer to their destination. Indigo Plateau was not far away now, and who knew what would happen when they got there. they'd have to find costumes of course, they couldn't turn up as the only people not dressed up but, true to form, they had not been organised enough to get costumes in advance. good job they were still a couple of days early then, so hopefully there would still be some left.  
as they walked on the sense of anticipation, even in the daydreaming Ash, was growing. this was going to be one big party…

with Misty - Chapter 2.

"no!"

"but you haven't even like, heard what we want you to do!"

"I don't care, it won't be good, so I'm not doing it!"

at the same time as Ash, Dawn and Brock were walking towards Indigo Plateau; Misty, Violet, Daisy and Lily were currently residing in the luxury five star hotel rooms that they had been allocated by the organisers of the event. Misty wasn't to compete or star or anything, competing was optional anyhow and she had a good mind to show off her talents as a gym leader but ordinary competitors received no special treatment, yet somehow she had managed to get a room anyway. she wasn't sure why, she supposed her sisters must have had something to do with it but, if Misty knew her sisters, this favour would not come for free.  
Daisy, Lily and Violet had just entered her room with that familiar expression on their faces, one that Misty knew well, and she knew that they had come to collect on that debt. no reason to abandon the fight though…

"well actually it like, is good" Violet said stubbornly

"very good" Lily agreed

"it's like, even better than us getting you this room for free!" Daisy finished, with a look on her face saying 'you know what I'm getting at'  
Misty replied with her perfected 'I know what you're getting at, but I'm going to ignore it' look and Daisy sighed

"don't you even want to like, know what this really cool thing is?" she asked.   
Misty couldn't help it. Daisy looked so put out and it had been good of them to get her the room…she hadn't really thanked them properly…

"oh fine then" Misty consented, the guilt finally getting the better of her, "but that doesn't mean I'll do it, I'll just hear you out"

"well that's like, a start I s'pose" Violet agreed

"we want you…" Lily began, and Misty thought she heard a drum roll from somewhere

"to star in our finale!" her sisters said together.  
from the looks on their faces this was clearly something big, and something to be excited about yet Misty just looked blank.

in truth she wasn't too sure what to say. her sisters had often asked her to help them out in plays but it had mostly been small parts, small parts in small venues. she didn't think she was very good, and she had been pretty sure that they didn't think she was any good. yet here they were now, asking her to take part in the finale at the big festival thing! it wasn't just their finale either, for the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean had somehow managed to grab the big finale, the last show before it moved onto the battles and contests. it was a massive achievement, and Misty would be lying if she said she wasn't in the least bit proud or excited for her sisters, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined they would ask her for a part

"I…" Misty began, still waiting for this news to sink in and then come up with something more polite than 'not in your wildest dreams'  
it would only be a small part she knew, but she didn't enjoy the acting thing…or so she kept telling herself. she never really minded it when she was actually playing the part but the run up to the show and even being approached with the possibility made Misty stressed. she loathed the prospect but actually quite liked the actual thing, but she was definitely more a battler than a performer, and in a way she had Ash to thank for that.

"that's like, not it though" Lily said, taking Misty's silence as stunned awe

"no, you're like gonna be the main role!" Violet said

"I…" Misty tried again but words had failed her at a time when it could matter most

"and…" Daisy said, building up for the big news it seemed, "you, little sis, get to kiss some hot guy from the audience!"

"you what?!" that was it, Misty had finally snapped herself out of what ever trance she had been caught in, the last revelation just taking it too far

"so will you do it?" her sisters asked, in annoyingly good unison, but then they specialised in that kind of thing.

"err no, no I won't" Misty said, still not quite able to build up her usual indignant fiery temper but it was only a matter of time

"huh?"

"I'm not doing it!" Misty said, stubbornness setting in

"but like, it's the biggest part in the thing!" Violet said, an air of utter disbelief emanating from she and the other two as well

"I don't want to do it!" Misty said, a little more loudly

"you're like, so ungrateful!" Lily yelled.  
it was clear from her expression, and from that of the other two that there was a mixture of surprise, disbelief and hurt going through them. Misty felt that twang of guilt again but she had to stick to her guns, it was what she did

"look I…I'm sorry, but I don't actually like being on stage in front of loads of people" Misty said, her temper not present and it seemed as though she was being sincere

"could you two like, leave us for a moment" Daisy asked. Lily and Violet looked at her in surprise but a wink was all they got in reply to their questioning glances, and so they did as she said.

"right…" Daisy said once the other two had gone, "why don't you want to do it?"

"cos I get nervous, and there's loads of people…" Misty began, the many reasons she had all fighting to get out at once. "I…I'm not a performer like you and the other two. you're really good and…and I'd just ruin it" she finished quietly

"rubbish" Daisy said, and Misty looked at her in surprise, "look Misty you like, need to get over this doubt thing. we like, probably should have made it more clear but you are actually really good"

"I'm not as good as you" Misty replied defensively, "you can dance and sing…and you've got the looks and everything. you always said it; there's three sensational sisters, and one runt" she looked at the floor as she finished. she had never been very good at owning up to stuff like this and, whilst it was true she really didn't like having to perform on front of people, all that pretending to ignore what her sisters had made quite clear was actually just a lie.

"oh Misty…" Daisy said kindly, pulling her little sister into a hug, "we didn't like, mean it you know…well…you didn't used to have the same looks as the rest of us and everything…"

"oh way to make me feel better" Misty said bitterly

"I like, haven't finished!" Daisy said, "I said you like, didn't 'used' to have them. I think we like, forgot how much younger you are…"

"yep you're doing a great job" Misty interrupted again

"look do you like, want to here this really big complement I'm about to pay you or not" Daisy said impatiently.  
Misty shut her mouth and when Daisy was sure she had her little sister's attention again she continued

"but you've grown up now. I mean have you like, looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"

"not in the habit…"Misty muttered

"well you should…or get a guy to do it for you. why you've like, not had a date with anyone yet I don't know"

"it's not as though no one ever asked" Misty said defensively, for once not realising that she was actually not doing a very good job of putting up a fight.

"exactly! so why haven't you like, gone out with ANY of them?!"

"because I didn't like any of them" Misty said

"you like, had the hottest guy in Cerulean after you Misty!" Daisy exclaimed

"I don't care" Misty replied, finally starting to get annoyed.  
Daisy sighed an exasperated sigh but decided to get back on point before Misty got any more worked up

"oh well look my point is, you've easily got the looks to fit with us now" she said with a smile, "and with the costume we've got you, I think you might…show us up a bit"

Misty was shocked, it was definitely not like Daisy to say anything like that. looks were everything to her and the other two, they prided themselves on their appearance far more than Misty knew she ever would, yet here was Daisy, saying this…

"there's been three sensational sisters for a few years now. I guess it's like, time to add a fourth" Daisy finished with an even warmer smile than before.  
Misty was speechless. it didn't change the fact that she didn't want to do the play, but Daisy was being unbelievably nice to her…  
"so…you've got the looks. you'll stand out but it'll be like, in a good way. you're nervous yea we like, all get nervous sometimes but come on Misty, you get to kiss the guy from the audience. me, Violet and Lily are choosing and we've like, got good taste"

Misty considered for a moment before finally answering…

"no, no I don't want to do it"  
this made Daisy sweat-drop, she thought she had it in the bag there but Misty was stubborn…but then again everyone knew that

"but like, why not?!"

"look it isn't as though I'm not grateful, cos I really am, but to be honest I don't want to get kissed by some random guy in a batman suit!" Misty replied, voice raised slightly, but there was also a crimson flush to her cheeks which was not a result of being stressed or angry

"but we'll make sure it's like, a really hot guy!" Daisy insisted

"no!" Misty replied, "I don't care how hot you think he is, I don't want to kiss the random guy!"

"ok…" Daisy said, quickly working out a solution that she was quite proud of when she had finished it. "ok…what if, say, the random guy wasn't so random. what if you already knew him?"

"huh? what do you mean? Tracy? cos, no offence to him, but I'd still rather not…" Misty said but Daisy cut across her

"what if…" she said, pausing for dramatic effect but also to see the expression on Misty's face, so she could compare it with the one she got after the suggestion

"oh hurry up already!"

"fine, fine. what if the not-so-random trainer happened to be…the one and only Ash Ketchum!!!"

silence followed. Daisy watched with amusement as Misty blinked in surprise, her mouth opening and shutting, rather like a fish, as she tried to think of something to say. in truth Daisy still expected Misty to say no, she had only dropped the hint to get the last laugh however it seemed as though Misty was going to react differently that Daisy had expected. the reaction Daisy had been expecting was little more than a straight forward no, but instead she got…

"I um…Ash?"

Daisy looked back at her little sister in surprise. this was most definitely not what she had imagined Misty to say, but she quickly worked out what it probably meant. after all, Misty hadn't even tried it seemed to hide the hopeful and expectant tone in her voice

"like that would you?" she asked, trying her hardest not to laugh at the look on Misty's face. it seemed to be mixed excitement, longing, pondering, but Misty was also trying her hardest to cover up all of these with the denial that she had so often relied upon in such situations; however the prospect of that kiss…it was impossible to ignore

"err…well." Misty didn't say anything else, just a small smile escaped her as she looked at the floor, blushing hotly.

"aww so little Misty has a crush" Daisy crooned, unable to prevent herself

"but…but is Ash coming?" Misty asked, not even trying to deny it any more, she knew it was true in any case

"well it's on Halloween, and it's like, the biggest party around so I think it's like, pretty certain that he will" Daisy replied, "and besides…" she continued, "I've got like, an old friend who works at Viridian port and she like, mentioned seeing Ash"

"she saw Ash?!" Misty asked quickly, catching Daisy by surprise, "did she say what he was like?! was he ok? how's he been doing? what does he look like? what does he sound like…?"  
question after question after question Misty asked, all in quick succession and there was no way Daisy could keep up. Misty wanted to know everything and at once, to see if Ash had changed much since the last time they had met and to build a picture of him again in her mind that was fuelled by more than just memories alone.

"hey like, slow down Misty!" Daisy finally managed to say, cutting across Misty's continuing questions, "she like, didn't say much about him"

"oh…" Misty said, deflated, she had hoped for so much more…

"well she just said that he was like, the best looking guy she's seen in years. I tried to like, tell her that he was too young and everything but…"  
Daisy trailed off as she noticed Misty's distant expression, and realised that she just might have given her little sister an image to last her for a very long time.

"yea…that sounds about right" Misty said quietly, smiling.

"well…ok" Daisy said, unsure of how to continue and so she decided to try and get back to the point, "so will you like, take the part?"

"can't wait to see him" Misty said quietly to herself, not having paid the slightest attention to Daisy's questioning

"Misty? hey Misty!"

"huh? what?"

"will you like, take the part or something?" Daisy asked, hoping that this time she would actually get the answer this time

"…you promise to pick Ash out?" Misty asked

"yea, I promise" Daisy laughed, "actually I think you'll be perfect. the kiss scene always works best if they mean it. hey Lily, Violet, get in here, she's gonna do it!!! Misty's like, totally gonna do it!!!"

with Ash - chapter 3

"told you we'd be alright. there's two days left until the party, there's no way a shop that size would have run out of stuff that quickly" Dawn said enthusiastically as she, Brock and Ash made their way out of the busy department store and back towards the small hotel they had managed to get last minute rooms at. each of them were now sporting costumes of sorts, though not yet wearing them.

"yea but they're hardly the best in the world" Ash commented

"oh cheer up Ash, you're never normally this miserable, what's wrong with you?!" Brock asked, beginning to get a little irritated with Ash's constant doubts and depressed little comments

"he's worried that's all" Dawn replied, to quizzical looks from Ash, Brock and Pikachu. "I mean, he wants to look good for Misty doesn't he? and that's kind of hard to do at a Halloween party"

"ahh good point" Brock conceded, looking at Ash for some hint of denial but he was only met by a slight blush.

"besides it really doesn't look that bad Ash" Dawn continued, giving Ash a warm smile, "I think you'd make a great vampire, and you need to try it on before you judge it. you really should have tried it on before you bought it…"

"oh please don't start that again" Ash pleaded, to fervent nods from both Brock and Pikachu in agreement. none of them particularly wanted to hear Dawn's lecture again.

"well fine but promise you'll try it on when we get back" Dawn insisted

"yea you probably should, if only to stop Dawn complaining" Brock said.  
Ash looked around him for a moment and found that there already seemed to be an increasing amount of goblins wandering around, not to mention some witches and ghosts and decided that just perhaps he should try to enjoy himself

"ok" he said, finally seeming enthusiastic, "we might as well all try our stuff on. we could go out and try to spook some people"

it took another half an hour to get to the small hotel, which seemed to have dropped off of the face of the earth for quite a while until they realised that the dingy looking apartment building they had been circling for the last twenty minutes was actually the hotel in question. it wasn't so bad inside though. it looked old, but not in a bad way and it was quite quiet too, which was a rarity this close to the festival. the man behind the counter who looked almost as old as the establishment thought that it would probably get busier by the end of the evening, and should probably be full by tomorrow and, not being very knowledgeable about such things; Ash, Brock and Dawn bade the old man farewell, accepted their keys and went up the stairs. they were on the fourth floor, the three rooms quite small but cosy nonetheless, and they joined on to each other as well which meant it would be easy for the three to keep in touch.

another ten minutes later and all four of them (Pikachu included) were settled in and had each retired to their separate bathrooms to get changed into the outfits they were to be wearing on the night, though for Ash it seemed to take much longer than it did the other two, even Dawn. she had been right; he was more worried about meeting Misty again than he had first thought, about what he would say and how he would look…how she would look too. it had been a long time since they had last seen each other, perhaps she had changed…perhaps she had found someone else? 

"Ash? hey Ash! what's taking you so long, we're all ready out here!" came Dawn's voice from outside.  
Ash snapped back to the present to find that he hadn't actually gone very far on the getting changed front, having just about managed to get one arm out of a sleeve and one shoe off.

"err give me a sec!" Ash called back, and picked up from where he had left off as quickly as possible, finally emerging from the bathroom about five minutes later with his hair a mess, his long black cape twisted and attached to his front and his vampire teeth…somewhere, they seemed to have gone missing.

"whoa what happened to you?!" Brock asked in surprise, but was barged out of the way by Dawn who immediately set about righting the various wrongs with Ash's attire

"honestly you can't even dress yourself properly! what were you doing in there, oh; don't tell me, staring off into space again well that's just brilliant. you know if you meet Misty and start daydreaming like that then she's probably not gonna thank you for it…"

"ok, ok, ok!" Ash said, finally managing to pull away from Dawn who fell back next to Brock to examine Ash

"you know…you actually do look quite convincing" Brock commented.  
he was dressed up as some form of troll thing, with one of those smelly rubber masks and a big blow-up club – not the best outfit in the world.  
"well it was the cheapest I could find" he admitted with a shrug as he noticed Ash smirking

"actually I think Ash probably managed to get the best outfit" Dawn said. she, admittedly, didn't look bad, however from where she was standing; the quite thin and ragged witches outfit whilst looking realistic was also not the warmest of costumes, leaving quite a lot bare for even the slightest bit of chill to get in at. she had a broomstick too under one arm, and did look quite convincing but it was the practicality of it you see, probably not something she should become unduly concerned with if she hoped to make it in the contest world.

"wonder if Misty's gonna get dressed up" Ash said to himself.

"would you like her to be?" Brock asked

"don't care" Ash replied dreamily

"aww" Dawn crooned, and Ash immediately blinked and began blushing hard

"no that won't do!" Brock exclaimed, "if you go around blushing like that it'll ruin your look, vampires are supposed to be pale!"  
Pikachu butted in at that moment and Ash was quite glad to have someone backing him up

"yea Pikachu's right, I'm not a pale person" he said defensively before spotting a chance to be smug and exploiting it to its full potential "this tan has taken a lot of work!"

"rubbish, and besides that makes you sound like a girl" Dawn countered and, true to form, Ash had not thought of a comeback for this situation.

"I've got an idea!" Brock said suddenly, making the other three pay attention, "Dawn could we borrow your makeup?"

"great idea!" Dawn exclaimed, turning back to Ash with a look of excitement but also a steely glint in her eye that Ash knew meant that she wouldn't back down from this easily.

"oh no" Ash said, backtracking quickly, "no way am I wearing makeup"

"oh come on!" Dawn and Brock exclaimed together

"it'll complete the look" Brock said matter-of-factly

"I don't care, I'm not wearing it!"

"please?!"

"no!"

"oh fine then" Dawn said with a huff, "don't wear it tonight but please wear it on the night, it'll be really good! I'm going to!"

"yea but Dawn, you're a girl" Ash said flatly, "anyways I'll think about it, but I'd rather not meet…I'd rather not be wearing makeup when I see Misty again"

"Ash…what if she's not there?" Brock asked, something that had been concerning him for a while now

"she will be" Ash replied, and there was such an air of hopefulness about him that Brock didn't like to disagree. it was plain that Ash believed Misty would be there and believed it with a passion, and so Brock let it drop. Ash could be right anyway, and with any luck he would be.

the rest of the night went as planned for Ash, Brock, Dawn and Pikachu as they left the hotel again when it began getting dark, and they had spent much of the night out and about going into shops and once or twice a few Pokemon battles, given that Ash was always keen to stroke his ego these couldn't be avoided, yet they were good nevertheless. Ash won every encounter he got himself into and the three of them soon found themselves being avoided by all but the most brave and most eager trainers, almost as if they really had become the monsters they were dressed up as. Dawn and Brock had a few battles too, not as many as Ash as they were more interested in the Halloween aspect of the early celebrations as oppose to the battles, yet they too did fairly well with only Dawn losing once, and that trainer had then been beaten by Ash in any case.

"whoa this is amazing, there's so many people and so much to do, and it isn't even the night of the party yet!" Dawn exclaimed as she re-emerged from a large clothes shop that Ash and Brock had been loathed to go in to, and so had waited outside. it had taken about half an hour for Dawn to come out again, and she didn't appear to have brought anything

"Dawn what were you doing in there?! you took ages!" Ash whined, sizing up a group of battling trainers and thinking about challenging them to a battle…five on one shouldn't be too difficult after all, and Pikachu was still ready and raring to go on his shoulder, dressed up as a bat.

"trying stuff on" Dawn replied

"so did you get anything?" Brock asked, looking for any sign of a shopping bag

"no" Dawn replied, short and simple. Ash and Brock both sweat dropped "so where are we going now?" Dawn asked, ignoring them

"well Ash wants to battle those trainers over there" Brock said, gesturing to the group of trainers however when they realised that it was Ash they would likely be battling they all dispersed and mingled in with the crowd, finding other things to do and trying not to attract too much attention to themselves

"oh please!" Ash yelled at the empty space where the group had been, "I'm starting to wish Team Rocket would show up just to make things more interesting"

"but look around you Ash, there's so much to do, all the shops…" Dawn tried but this just got a blank stare from Ash who was clearly not interested in shopping. he did have a look around though, the many brightly lit neon signs advertising clothes, food and the like. he didn't feel hungry though, with was odd, for he was always hungry, yet now he was not and it was…worrying. it was as he perused the neon signs however that he spotted a small shop, quiet and out of the way, with most people walking straight past it without noticing. it was the contents of this shop that had caught Ash's attention, coupled with an idea which had suddenly sprung into his head as he saw them. it was a stupid idea, he knew it, one of the most stupid and dense ideas he had ever had but then, why not? unable to resist, Ash set off quickly towards the shop, much to the surprise of Dawn and Brock who could only watch as Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, walked off through the crowd

"back in a minute!" he called back, and that was it. Dawn looked around for any sign of something that may have interested Ash, yet all of the trainers around were still scurrying away from him so it couldn't be that he had spotted a battle from this distance. there were no food shops over in that direction either and, peering through the crowds, Dawn saw Ash walk through the door of one in particular

"jewellery?!" she exclaimed in surprise, turning to Brock who must have been about to tell her that she had been seeing things, but he didn't.

"looks like it" he said, looking after Ash as the door closed

"but…why?" Dawn asked, confused, Ash was certainly not the type to go around wearing earrings or anything, "Ash doesn't like jewellery"

"I don't think it's for him" Brock replied

"you mean he's…he's going to…?" Dawn began, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing

"I think so" Brock replied, "I hope he knows what he's doing"…

with Misty - chapter 5

she never thought she would say it, but Misty was beginning to find being stuck in the five-star room a bit…boring, to say the least. she had been planning to go out earlier in any case, yet ever since she had agreed to play the part for her sisters they seemed to be obsessed with keeping her hidden from anyone, regarding her as their secret weapon or something of the sort. it wasn't just that though, Misty had been put through several hours of constant practising and she was now very tired, and not in a very good mood. how was she supposed to practise a water ballet without the water anyway?! Daisy, Lily and Violet had been trying to explain the plot to her which she still didn't understand, and she had been made to repeat it herself several times to make sure she knew it right. then they had practised the cues and entrances, but Misty had drawn the line at pretending to swim, which Lily had done, and it had made her look completely ridiculous

"but you like, have to practise or you wont know what to do!" Lily had said, affronted both at Misty's attitude to the play and to her laughing at what Lily thought to be a very good performance

"look, I know how to swim, and it's hardly any different to that mermaid thing you made me do years ago. I'm not going to swim on the carpet" Misty had replied

"but…" Violet tried but Misty interrupted

"no. look if you really wanna help me with this practising thing then cant you at least show me the stage and tank and everything?"

"no, it's all locked up now, but we can go tomorrow" Daisy replied, "oh but we do like, have the blue prints or something"

"yea that'll do" Misty consented, and then another couple of hours had been spent going over the layout of the place, with Lily and Violet discovering a whole new way of trying to get Misty to do what they wanted when they wanted, and that was by scrawling instructions and directions all over the blue prints.

"you really haven't thought this through have you?!" Misty yelled, with the effect of starting quite a heated argument which had lasted for a good few minutes, "if you'd actually thought about this at all, you'd have asked me to do it ages ago, not TWO DAYS before the actual thing!!!"

"look we're like, trying to help you but if you don't want it then it'll be like, you who looks stupid when you get it wrong" Violet replied

"not if I don't do it" Misty replied icily. this had the effect of silencing Violet but Lily had a comeback which put Misty in a sticky situation

"but if you don't do it then you wont like, get to kiss your little Ashy-boy" she teased. there followed quite a tense silence since both sides, namely Misty and her sisters, were now in stalemate. her sisters couldn't do anything to upset Misty too much or she would threaten not to do the play, but if she didn't do the play then she wouldn't get to kiss Ash and, to be honest, Misty would be willing to go through all of the most gruelling practise sessions in the world to keep that chance alive.

"look why don't we like; have a break for a while?" Daisy asked eventually, breaking the ice.

"good idea" Misty huffed, before stomping her way back to her room and slamming the door, to sink onto the bed and into her thoughts. she hadn't really thought about what would happen, it had been the kiss that had kept her mind busy enough, but now as she sat on the bed and in the quiet she realised that she would probably have to say something at some point…yea she would definitely had to. first thing she should probably ask was whether it would be ok for her to go travelling with him again, as that had been her dream now since…well since she left. but when it came down to it, would she even be able to say that? or would she be too embarrassed or, as she suspected but then secretly desired to do, would she blurt out something else?

this had been the scope of her thoughts for quite a while now and, try as she might, Misty could not come to any sort of a conclusion as to what to say or how to act, and this had made her very frustrated. she had punched her pillow for a minute or two, just out of habit as she missed the opportunity to use her mallet on Ash and Brock…mostly Ash, and so had been having to find some other way of venting her anger. after she had accidentally ripped one however and had managed to hide the damage in a way that she hoped would get her out of having to pay for a replacement, Misty became quite bored.  
and here she was now then, still on her bed and still bored, yet it took a few minutes more for Misty to finally realise that perhaps the way to relieve her of her boredom would be to go out into the town for a bit and see what was going on.  
no sooner had she left her room however than she was confronted by Lily

"where are you going?" Lily asked, the earlier disagreements clearly not having been forgiven yet

"out" Misty replied in the same manner

"oh no your not"

"try and stop me"

Violet arrived on the scene at that moment and, as Misty had predicted, she instantly took Lily's side. oh how annoying it was to have three older sisters, and she always seemed to be the one excluded.

"you can't go out!" Violet said loudly, "you'll like, totally ruin the surprise!"

"I really don't care!" Misty replied, mocking her sisters rather stressed and high-pitched tones

"you will when I pick out some really ugly guy from the audience" Lily said quietly and then everything became deathly silent, the atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife as Misty and Lily stared each other down. Lily knew that what she had said would annoy Misty, yet she could never have anticipated the answer she got

"you'd do that?" Misty asked, and there was something else apart from anger in her voice too. was it fear? or hurt? either way it was most uncharacteristic

"well I'd…" Lily began

"you'd really do that to me?" Misty asked again, and now the hurt was clear, in fact there seemed to be more of that than the anger which had been present before

"I…yea, I would!" Lily replied, adjusting to the situation and continuing her attack, "you've like been totally ungrateful for like, everything we've done for you! we like, give you the main part in our biggest ever show, and you like, totally throw it back in our faces!"

"ok I think we should probably like, leave it now" Violet tried but Lily wasn't finished yet

"and like everything else we've done for you too! we like, let you run the gym, and stay there like, whenever you want! we bring you along here, we like, give you money to spend. hell we've like totally looked after you since mom died and you aren't like, grateful or anything!"

silence followed again as Lily finished her rant, breathing a little fast now as she worked herself up for the fight that would surely follow, but it didn't. instead all she got was a look, but one of sadness and hurt rather than anger and aggression, Misty's aqua-marine eyes welling up with tears and, all of a sudden, she turned on her heel and ran out of the corridor, down the stairs and out into the night.

"lies" Misty growled to herself, clenching her fist as she sat on the wooden bench. she had been sitting there for a while now, not having noticed really where she had been walking, in any case the tears in her eyes had made it quite difficult to see. when she had looked up however she found that she had managed to make her way into the town centre, and was surrounded by crowds of people on both sides going too and fro from different shops and stalls, people dressed up already and it was then that she began to feel somewhat out of place. all of these people seemed to be in costume, and all were enjoying themselves too yet here was Misty, the normal Misty and sitting alone and out of the way, the only sad face in a sea of merriment and excitement. even so though she didn't get up and move, she didn't really want to. she was still mulling over what Lily had said and, whilst she knew most of it had been lies, the one she could believe to be true was the one that worried and upset her the most. and of course it would probably happen now wouldn't it? Lily had threatened to pick someone else out of the crowd, and now Misty had stormed out of the hotel there was nothing to stop Lily from following through on that threat. oh how had she been so stupid?! that one moment with Ash would have meant more to her than anything, and she had just blown it!

"Ash where are you?" Misty sobbed quietly to herself, a sudden surge in feeling causing her tears to spill over and down her cheeks as she tucked her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball on the wooden bench, but she was so out of the way that no one noticed. Misty couldn't care less at the moment though whether anyone saw her or not. she had her face hidden as the tears began to stream down her cheeks, she didn't know what was going on around her, just what was going on inside. she hadn't realised just how much feeling she had stored up, nor how much she had built up for Ash over the years. of course she had always felt strongly about him, but then she never cried, and here she was now, sobbing her heart out to the empty air.   
Misty was so caught up in her thoughts and miseries that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching, had no idea that there was anyone there, anyone who had seen her, until the gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder

"Misty?"…

with Ash and Misty – chapter 6

Ash had been unsure of himself from the moment he set out towards the jewellery shop, and he was even more unsure of himself when he saw the prices. even so, the idea was firmly lodged in his head now and, as time went on, the more he became sure that this was the right thing to do…it was just the method of doing it which remained a problem. even so he quickly found what he wanted, his eyes skimming the shelves quickly until he found the colour he had been looking for, that shining aqua-marine blue, and then it had just been a simple matter of spending all of his money on buying it. he had to admit it looked beautiful though, for all it had left him completely broke, he was glad he had gone through with it in the end, though it was admittedly the easiest step in the overall plan.  
Ash slipped the small velvet black box into his pocket and made for the door, getting his cape stuck on the handle in his hurry to get out unnoticed and attracting an amused and sympathetic look from the shopkeeper, who had a pretty good idea of what the young man was going to do.

after quickly disentangling himself from the door handle Ash made his way out into the town centre again, immediately becoming lost in a crowd of people as they moved from shop to shop. Ash kept a hand in his pocket as he looked for Brock and Dawn, whilst also trying to find a way out of the shop. Pikachu had already gone, having decided to give Ash some privacy in the shop he had left his friend to it and gone back to the other two, he too knowing what Ash planned to do, and wishing him the best of luck in the first stage of the plan.  
suddenly a parting in the crowd formed and Ash dived for it, not really caring where he ended up providing it got him some space and some air, and a position from which he could look for the others again. it was as he came out of the crowd and looked around however that he noticed a figure curled up on a bench a little way away. it was a girl, a beautiful figure with red-orange hair falling down past her shoulders, hair tied into a loose side-ponytail that fell down as long as the rest. she was wearing a yellow fleece come hoody and blue jeans, and Ash had a funny feeling he had seen her before somewhere. it was odd too, he wasn't getting that guilty feeling he often did if he noticed a beautiful girl away from Misty, and as Ash looked that familiarity hit him, yet Ash couldn't be sure because the girl had not looked up yet, and appeared to be crying, her face hidden behind her knees and hair. well, Ash was always one to help someone out if they were down, and so he stepped forwards, abandoning his original task of finding Brock, Dawn and Pikachu in favour of comforting this girl.   
as Ash walked towards her though she looked up briefly, not noticing him there, just to wipe tears from her cheeks which were almost instantly replaced, before hiding her face again. it was in this brief second though that Ash felt his heart begin to thump hard, very hard. he did know this girl, he was sure of it. though they had been apart for a while now without much contact, and no matter how her appearance had changed, there was no way he could forget those shining aquamarine eyes.

"Misty?" he asked, hardly daring to hope for the answer yet he knew it was true, he knew it was her. he placed a hand on her shoulder as he asked, unable to help himself; he had to make sure she was real

"huh? w-who…?" Misty looked up, and found herself gazing into the hazel eyes she had missed so much. "Ash…?"

"oh my God Misty it's you! it's really you!" Ash said, abandoning what ever restraints he would normally put on himself for the sheer joy of seeing her again, and pulling her off of the bench and into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair, taking in everything he could from touch to sight to scent. "I can't believe it's you! you look brilliant! it's so good to see you again!"

"Ash!" Misty sobbed, hiding her face in his chest as they held each other, and Ash felt the tears begin to soak through his shirt but he didn't care, he had Misty in his arms and all that mattered to him now was comforting her. he had even forgotten what he had in his pocket.

"sshh Misty it's ok, what's the matter?" he crooned gently, holding her a little closer for comfort as he guided her back to the bench and sat down, Misty still in his arms and sobbing.

she didn't know why she was crying now to be honest. Ash was here, she was in his arms and they were together again, she should be laughing with delight but instead his sudden appearance and the kindness he was showing her just built up the memories of what had gone past, of all that she could and should have said but didn't. she remembered what Lily had said too, and even whilst she was thinking about it the whole thing just sounded more and more ridiculous. there was no way Ash would kiss her, and even if he did it would have been because of the pressure of the hundreds of people watching, not what he felt for her.

"come on Misty don't cry, just tell me what's wrong" Ash said gently. he had completely abandoned all restraints that would normally have kicked in on instinct. the fear of getting so close would normally keep him from doing anything like this yet Misty was crying, he had not seen her in a long time, and the feelings he had for her were being allowed to run free, just for the moment.

"I…nothing…nothing" Misty replied, finally taking her head away from his chest and wiping her eyes, sniffing and holding back the sobs which still shook her. Ash saw her trying to cover it up, and didn't let go even after the tears had gone, helping with that himself by gently wiping the last lingering droplet from her cheek. Misty looked at him in silence as he did this, wondering at why really, why Ash was doing this for her when they had only just met again, wondering what it could mean.

"come on…tell me…you know you want to" Ash coaxed cheerfully, giving Misty a wink. he still had his arms around her as hers were around him as they sat on the bench, ignoring all of the costumes and lights around, each captivated by the other

"I've missed you loads" Misty said quietly

"same here…missed you, I was with me" Ash replied stupidly, but this just made Misty laugh if anything – Ash hadn't changed…not mentally anyway. he'd changed a bit in looks though, far more…more…handsome, for all she neglected the word, but it was one of the only things Misty could think of. ok then that wasn't quite true; fit and sexy had come to mind, as had gorgeous. though she wasn't to know it of course, Ash was thinking just the same thing yet Misty had changed quite a bit in appearance, and all for the better. she looked beautiful, even more so than in Ash's dreams, and this was like a dream to be honest, she was angelic…

"so um…how've you been?" Misty asked, trying to tear her eyes away from his hazel ones but it was impossible.

"err same as always really, bit down sometimes but you know how it is" Ash replied, also in the same state, not able to take his eyes away from her for a second

"well…yea" Misty said, and sighed. "not sure I can imagine you on a downer though"

"hmm…" Ash said in reply

it was more awkward than either of them had anticipated, and both Ash and Misty were having trouble thinking of anything to say to each other. they both had so much they wanted to say, but couldn't figure out, or didn't feel comfortable, actually saying it. they had let each other go by this point and were now sitting on the bench side by side, close together yet looking at the floor and both blushing deeply though they had still not actually said anything to each other that should make them be that way, it was just imagining all the things they wanted to say that was causing them both to go crimson.

"so what are you doing down at the plateau anyway" Misty asked finally, turning back to look at Ash with a nervous smile

"the Halloween party thing, someone decided it'd be a good idea to come. I wasn't sure to be honest but hey, if I hadn't come then I wouldn't have got to see you again, so I'd say it's been worth it just for tonight" Ash replied, and then they both blushed an even deeper shade of red and looked back at the floor. Misty was touched, she wanted to say something in reply, but thinking of something that wouldn't give too much away was difficult.

"I…thanks…" was all she could say in reply

"what about you?" Ash asked, still blushing but also hoping, in a sense, that Misty would say something back, something to indicate that she shared his feelings, which would be difficult given what he had done earlier, though the velvet box was still forgotten in his pocket.

"err well…the same as you really" Misty replied, "I'd had a rough night til you came along…it's really good to see you again"

"why? what's been so bad about tonight?" Ash asked, trying to hide the fact that he felt as though a fire had been lit inside him at Misty repaying him the complement

"oh just my sisters" Misty replied, not really wanting to go into it but then she realised she owed Ash an explanation as to her crying over him earlier, "well Lily mainly she just…said some stuff"

"what stuff? are you ok with them? they're not picking on you or anything are they? cos if they are you know you just have to tell me and I'll…" Ash began, working himself up with worry for his best friend…more than best friend

"no, no it's alright" Misty said hurriedly, "thanks a lot, but it was just a stupid fight that's all. Lily said some things and I…I guess I overreacted"

"are you sure you're feeling ok?" Ash asked, and Misty looked at him curiously, "only I've never heard you admit you overreacted, and it's not like you to back down from a fight" he grinned, one which Misty returned

"oh you haven't changed Ash Ketchum" she scolded, but was silenced by the look Ash gave her at that moment

"you have…you're more beautiful than I ever imagined" he said, turning red again, but not breaking eye contact

"I…um…" Misty faltered. she couldn't believe that Ash had just said that, it made her feel light headed, proud, grateful…it made her feel something which she had never felt before, but she was fairly sure it had something to do with being complemented by the person you admire more than anyone, the person you'd want to spend the rest of your life with.

"Misty! Misty!" someone was shouting her name, and Misty looked around, reluctantly, breaking eye contact for the first time now and almost as soon as she had she felt a longing to be looking into those deep hazel eyes again.

"there you are!" Daisy exclaimed, pushing through the crowd, followed by Lily and Violet

"wait…" Misty tried, but Violet had already taken her arm and she and Lily were pulling her off of the bench and away.  
this was like a nightmare, and it was one that Misty had had before, being dragged away from Ash with no force to resist, only this time she couldn't wake up from it

"come on, practise" Lily said sharply, she and Violet dragging Misty away. Daisy stayed behind a little with a defeated looking Ash, not only defeated but something else as well, but it was hard to describe and Daisy didn't have long left.

"hey it's Ash isn't it. look, sorry we've got to like, take her from you but she's gotta get fitted for the show."

"err show?" Ash asked, the sinking feeling in his chest getting stronger and stronger as Misty got further away.

"oh yea, we got the finale didn't you hear?"

"err yea I think I remember something…" Ash began but Daisy interrupted him

"look like, take these" Daisy said, shoving some papers into Ash's hand "they're like, front row seats or something. come tomorrow and like, prepare for a big surprise…with you know who" Daisy winked and nodded in Misty's direction. Ash followed the nod and found himself staring after Misty as she was dragged away. she was looking back at him too, staring longingly towards him and as she disappeared she mouthed something which Ash couldn't quite catch, but it looked a lot like 'I love you'…

With Ash – chapter 6.

Ash sat where he was for a good few minutes after Misty had gone. he had come so close to saying everything, all that had been inside him for so long and it had begun to spill over without him even being aware yet, at the last, the moment had been stolen from him again, had been stolen from them both. it really was a crushing feeling too, the weight of that chance slipping away…perhaps they just weren't meant to be together, perhaps nothing was meant to be said…but how could that be true when Ash knew that the feeling inside him was so strong now it would never leave, would stay with him until he could finally utter those three words he so longed to say and to receive, 'I love you'

"Ash there you are" came Brock's voice and Ash looked up to see he, Dawn and Pikachu walking towards him

"You've been gone ages, we thought you were only going to that jewellery shop, didn't you find anything you liked?" Dawn asked, and Ash suddenly realised that, just perhaps, he hadn't been as discrete about his plan as he had originally intended to.

"err jewellery shop?" he asked, trying to sound confused but there was so much else going through his head at the moment that any attempt at hiding or concealing anything would never have been successful

"Ash we watched you go into the shop" Brock replied, "but did you find what you were looking for?"

"I just went in to…to…to see if I could get something for mom" Ash replied hurriedly, trying to formulate a reasonable excuse for his entering the shop

"Uh huh, I bet you did" Dawn muttered sarcastically, but Brock had a better idea

"Well did you get anything?" he asked

"err yea" Ash replied, then realised that this would be a mistake but it was too late to change his mind now

"ooh let's see!" Dawn said enthusiastically

"well I'd rather just…" Ash tried, but the others were having none of it

"rubbish just let us see it" Dawn demanded, and Ash didn't have a chance to resist as Pikachu delved quickly into his pocket and withdrew the velvet box

"hey give it back!" Ash yelled, but Pikachu had already scampered off to Brock's shoulder and stuck his tongue out at Ash as he deposited the small box into Brock's outstretched hand.  
Ash was bright red by this point and hid his face behind his hands as Brock opened the lid.  
no one spoke; Brock, Dawn and Pikachu were all too busy staring at the little object and Ash was too busy trying to hide where he stood, so the only noise present was that of the constant hustle and bustle going on behind them in the town square, yet that seemed far off somehow, though it was only a few feet away.

"it's beautiful" Dawn said in an awed whisper

"erm…thanks" Ash replied, very embarrassed now and still not revealing his face.

"it really is" Brock agreed, and Pikachu soon followed suit

"could I have it back now?" Ash pleaded, holding out a hand expectantly yet the others didn't seem as though they were going to oblige

"it must have been really expensive, how much did you spend?" Dawn asked, not the most sensitive of questions but they were friends, why should it matter

"erm about…" Ash began, but didn't finish

"Ash? Ash you trailed off there" Dawn prompted him

"yea…yea I did really didn't I" Ash replied, trying to adopt stupidity as a reason for not answering their questions, but it wasn't going to be left to lye

"so how much?" Dawn asked again

"all of it" Ash sighed

"all of it?! you spent all of your money on a gift for your mom?!" Dawn repeated, the disbelief evident in her tone and she had a good reason for it

"yea I guess" Ash replied

"Ash…" Brock said quietly, "are you sure you know what you're doing? she might not say yes"

"what my mom would say no to her son buying her a ring as a present?" Ash asked, trying to sound doubtful

"you can cut the act Ash, we know why you bought it" Dawn informed him, and Ash realised it would be no good to try and keep up the pretence

"ok…look I know it's probably a bit rash but…but I have to do it, I just have to" he replied

"but she might not even be here" Brock said, trying to be the voice of reason yet it was clear that Ash would have nothing of it.

"but she is here!" Ash said excitedly, the sinking feeling he had had earlier being replaced by a sudden elation as he voiced the fact to himself, and realised they would see each other again

"how do you know?" Brock asked

"cos I saw her!"

"when? where?" Dawn asked in surprise. she would have quite liked to meet Misty, if anything because another girl on the block would probably do her good, being stuck with the two boys all the time did get quite annoying, and if Ash was so worked up about her as this then there must be a good reason

"just now, on this bench before you got here" Ash replied excitedly

"well what happened?" Brock asked

"well…I dunno really, I didn't recognise her at first. she's changed a lot Brock, looks anyway; she's really beautiful, pretty, long hair…"

"Ash!" Dawn said loudly, flicking her fingers in front of Ash's face as he appeared to be drifting into dream world again

"huh? oh yea sorry. yea so I found her and she was crying, so I went over to see if she was ok and it turned out that this beautiful girl was Misty! so yea we talked…ish, I was nervous, think she was too anyway I was about to tell her…I was about to say something when her sisters came along and dragged her off somewhere" Ash said, quickly and excitedly

"but that's terrible!" Dawn exclaimed

"no but get this, she's in the play! the mystical mermaid person is Misty, she's the main part in the finale and…" Ash said, pausing for effect, "I got us front row tickets!!!"

"nice one" Brock and Dawn said together, taking two tickets from Ash and pocketing them

"so that's it then? you didn't manage to say anything else to her?" Brock asked

"well…yea, but Daisy said to prepare for a surprise at the show…dunno what that's gonna be but it can only be good can't it?"

"yea!" Dawn said, cuffing Ash on the shoulder, "so I guess now you'll admit that coming here was worth it?"

"oh I dunno…" Ash said, laughing at the look on Dawn's face, "yea of course it was worth it!"

"I think we should probably be heading back now" Brock said once Ash had stopped laughing, "it's getting late and it's cold, and besides there's all of tomorrow before the show"

"well the cold bit I'll agree with Dawn said, having forgotten just how cold she was in the excitement and it had now come back to her with a fresh surge, making her tremble

"damn it I'd forgotten the show was in two days, I wanna see Misty again!" Ash said miserably, a contrast to his initial feelings which were that coming here at all had been a bad idea

"well…tell you what we'll go back now and get some sleep, then tomorrow we can try and find out where she's staying" Brock suggested.  
this was agreed upon by all and Ash, Brock, Dawn and Pikachu left the town square back towards the shabby hotel, taking a lot longer to get back than it had on the way as they were all talking and now Ash was beginning to show more of an interest in their surroundings, noticing shops and stalls he had not seen on the way down and insisting on checking them out, though as Brock constantly reminded him, he had no money left to buy anything.  
eventually though they arrived back and, after a brief conversation with the old porter who was keen to impress upon them how accurate his earlier prediction had been, they finally made it back to their rooms. there had been one thing of interest he said however, addressing Ash.

"oh are you a Mr. Ash Ketchum?" the old man had asked

"err yea that's me" Ash replied

"someone left something here for you a bit earlier" the old man explained, "a young lady, seemed to be in a bit of a hurry if I remember rightly, but it looks like you've got an admirer" he had reached down and opened a draw somewhere out of sight, and when he reappeared he was holding a small blue flower, one that Ash had seen before. they thanked the old man and continued up the stairs to their rooms.

"what was that about?" Dawn asked curiously once they were two floors up. Ash was gazing at the blue flower in his hand with a peculiar expression on his face, one of happiness but also longing, in a sense.

"any ideas Ash?" Brock asked

"yep" Ash replied simply, "yea I know what it is"

"well what?" Dawn asked impatiently

"I think Misty was here" was all Ash had said in reply, and then the meaning of his expression became clear.

as they continued up the last two flights of stairs it became obvious that the old man had been very accurate in his prediction. the rooms that had been empty when they had first arrived were now mostly occupied, and they passed several people in the narrow corridors who were bustling around with luggage and shopping, Pokemon trainers and co-ordinators alike. it was clear that everyone was preparing themselves for the big festival already, yet Ash had no intention of making any more preparations tonight, he had too much on his mind. besides he was never one for advanced preparations, much preferring to put things off until the last minute, which is why he didn't bother himself of thinking about what he should say to Misty the next time they met, he would just trust it to fate.

"shall we see if there's anything on TV for a bit?" Dawn asked as they reached the doors to their rooms.

"I'm up for that, but I'll get changed first" Brock replied, "what about you Ash?"

"um…naa I think I'll get an early night" Ash replied

"oh…good night then" Dawn replied as Ash's door shut and she and Brock were left alone in the corridor, "he's being really weird at the moment you know" Dawn commented

"yea well…that's love for you" Brock replied with a grin. Dawn returned it and shook her head, before leaving through the door to her own room to get changed, as Brock did likewise.  
a little later, whilst Dawn and Brock were flicking through the TV channels, on the other side of the wall Ash had just finished getting changed out of his vampire outfit, depositing it haphazardly on a chair in the corner of the room that would have made both Dawn and his mother highly displeased with him, and he was now laying on top of covers on his bed, curtains open and basking in the moonlight so to speak. he would have been cold had the heater not been on, yet Ash was more of the opinion that the warmth coursing through him now as he lay, twirling the blue flower around on his chest, was that coming from deep inside him, the warmth Misty had given him, the warmth from his heart.  
he fell asleep quickly as he lay, more worn out than he had first thought his eyes finally closed as he laid his head on the soft pillow, the blue flower in his hand still, and he kept hold of it, all night.

With Misty – chapter 7

the rest of the night and much of the next day passed very quickly, with very little happening to Ash and co. however Misty and her sisters had plenty to be getting on with. 

Misty had been fitted with her costume for the show the next day, or costumes as it turned out, as the part she was to play required more than one. she was greeted to a squeal of delight from Daisy as she had emerged from her room wearing the second. still though she hadn't really been thinking much about the show, despite how often she was made to rehearse the cues and actions etc. her mind had stayed with the night before, with that chance meeting with Ash, and what it could have led to. she had been beating herself up about it for the entire walk back to the hotel, and it was only after constantly pestering Daisy that she managed to conduct her little plan with the flower. it was a spur of the moment type thing really, but she had been feeling so bad about not having returned Ash's complement to her, and not having told him how she felt, that she knew she wouldn't have been able to rest easy unless she had done that little thing. she didn't miss the flower to be honest; in fact she felt better knowing that she had given it to Ash as a token of her feelings for him. she had slept soundly that night too, dreams of that certain person forming a little bubble of happiness inside her that she became immersed in almost as soon as her eyes had closed, and had had good dreams all night.

the next day, the day before the festival and Misty had very little time to spare for her thoughts as, much to her irritation, she was awoken early and then it had been non-stop working all day. fitting the costumes had come first, though Misty herself had been last to undergo it given that Lily, Violet and Daisy were much more enthusiastic about getting kitted out than she was, and had leapt at the first opportunity. as such, Misty had had to watch as her sisters paraded around the room in their various outfits, before she herself had to go through the same ritual. she had spent as long as possible actually getting changed, hoping that something would come up and she wouldn't have to do that stupid cat-walk type thing, however it wasn't to be and she was made to do it, the other three having a good laugh as she tried to do it in her mermaid outfit, but of course the tail made walking practically impossible. Misty had recovered fast enough though to not flop on the floor, and instead fell onto a small, square shaped bean-bag and adopting the stereotypical mermaid pose, much to the amusement of her sisters. she really did carry the pose well though, and her looks coupled with the outfit could easily have her mistaken for a real mermaid, even more so than the last time she had worn a similar outfit. as such, the laughter was not humour alone, as each of her sisters, including Lily, had to admit that their little sister really had grown up, and could definitely not be called the runt anymore.  
the second costume had been more of a success however and, had there been anyone but her sisters present, it certainly would have attracted a few gasps.

"oh it's gonna be something special on the night" Daisy said gleefully, "you like, look totally amazing!"  
Misty blushed and began plucking at the hem of the dress, only to be stopped quickly by Violet before she could do any damage

"seriously though Ash is gonna be like…" Violet began, before putting on quite an accurate impression of Ash which made Misty laugh.

"you'd better go and get changed out of it though, we don't like, want it all creased" Daisy said sensibly but Lily cut across her

"what about the dress rehearsal?"

it was a good point, and Daisy hadn't thought about the dress rehearsal at all. they would need to practise with the costumes for sure, but even more essential was that they had a chance to practise on set, with the water tank and props and everything. Misty thought it just typical of her sisters to be this unprepared, they were performing tomorrow night after all, and it didn't look as though anything was ready. luckily, another group of performers had just cancelled their slot for a rehearsal, and so when Daisy phoned up not two minutes later she was able to book a slot at the main venue, actually inside the stadium itself.  
they all got changed again then as a taxi was called for them, and in little over fifteen minutes Misty, Daisy, Lily and Violet where heading towards the stadium itself, massive against the skyline. the drive up to the stadium was just as magnificent however, and there was activity all around as technicians worked on various things from lighting to pyrotechnics all along the side of the massive path. as Misty looked out of the window she could imagine what this walkway would look like tomorrow night; the hundreds of trainers all dressed up and walking up the path together under the lights and fireworks, the merriment, talking, singing, dancing and what ever else people did on these occasions. she wouldn't be a part of it however; she would already be backstage by the time people started to arrive, getting ready for her moment of fame. her sisters had several other acts that they were to do, and so Misty would be left alone for a large part of the evening until the finale when they would all go out together.

"here we are, Indigo Plateau Pokemon Stadium" the cab-man announced, holding out his hand to collect the fee. Daisy paid it and they all disembarked the taxi, now standing in the vast entrance to the stadium.  
the stadium itself was far bigger than it had looked even from the outside, and had its own little town contained within. of course there was the arena itself, the tower on which the torch would be carried at the start of tournaments, but then there was a whole public sector as well with shops and restaurants. all of these were currently empty of course as the stadium was closed to the public in the run up to the event, yet there were still a lot of people moving around all looking very official in various different uniforms, presumably making the final changes and tests on the various sound and lighting equipment that would be used on the night.  
a supervisor arrived on the scene and escorted Misty and her sisters away from the arena and the public sector and into yet another area, this time private and meant for those who were to be participating in what ever event was being held at the time. ordinarily this would be Pokemon trainers competing for the right to challenge the elite four, and indeed Misty remembered it well when Ash had come here. more recently though the stadium had also become home to the Pokemon contest grand festival and so a wide variety of stylist shops had been set up within the private sector, and now it was to be used for those people taking part in the shows at the party. there were so many doors and corridors that Misty lost count almost as soon as they got inside, the place having expanded considerably since she was last here. all around them doors led to various rooms of differing degrees of importance, and on the innermost wall there were stairs at regular intervals leading up to the stands.  
the corridors and shops of both public and private sectors were arranged in an oval around the stadium itself, with the stands ringing around on top of them on several tiers. the stage was right in the centre of the arena, giving the best view for everyone in the stands, however to get back stage it involved walking right around to the other side of the stadium, and it was quite a long way. Misty began complaining quietly to herself before they were even at half way, but eventually they arrived at a door, at which point the supervisor left them and they all walked through

unlike with everything else in the stadium, the space they found after walking through the door was actually quite small. Misty looked around in puzzlement until Daisy explained that this was not actually the back stage area, and was in fact just a means of getting there – in this case by going through a large underground tunnel.  
in order to facilitate for the wide variety of different acts, all of the sets were constructed on wheels, and there was a large lift system that acted as transport for the sets. this meant that, should one act require a large set that would be too difficult to place manually, the platform would lower with the previous set, which would then be wheeled off for the next to be moved on, and then the platform would rise again. the stage itself was directly in the centre of the oval arena, in fact the whole thing was very much like a Roman coliseum. there was a tunnel leading from the back to a vast hollowed out section under the stage, and it was there which the raising platform, the variety of sets, and the rest of the backstage equipment was stored. the set that the Sensational sisters and Misty would be using was probably the biggest, given that they needed a multilevel stage and not to mention the massive water tank. this had been constructed though, and the whole thing was on wheels as with the others so it could be moved onto the rotating platform. the whole set only took up about half of the overall stage area, which proved how big this venue was.  
Misty suddenly became very nervous as she glanced to one side, through a small window looking out across a seemingly vast gap to the place where the stage itself was, positioned directly in the centre of the arena, the stands stretching out into the distance before finally rounding off, and a rather small looking patch of daylight coming from the now not-so-massive entrance. chairs had also been arranged on the arena itself surrounding the stage area, to give the priority ticket holders a better view of the show. this was something new for Misty, who had never had to tackle the task of performing a show for an audience spread out all around her. she would have to project herself through three hundred and sixty degrees as equally as possible, whilst not boring those behind. though this was something her sisters had been constantly trying to teach her techniques for, it was still a daunting prospect. she had forgotten too, it having been so long since she was last here, just how big the Indigo Plateau stadium was. it could fit tens of thousands of people, and the thought of performing in front of all of them was enough to make Misty wish she could sink through the floor.

"don't worry" Daisy said from behind her, putting a hand on Misty's shoulder encouragingly, "just like, forget about everyone else who'll be here and think about Ash"  
Misty smiled and nodded nervously, before following her sister towards the elevator that would take them down under ground, to the backstage area.

it was a fairly long ride in the small monorail through the tunnel towards the stage. the train must have been moving about three miles an hour, and Misty was getting more and more impatient with every second. it was impatience fuelled by nerves though, and it wasn't even the night of the performance yet, there was no one here to watch her, yet she was still terrified. she was annoyed too, this wasn't like her, she didn't get nervous. in fact, she prided herself on her ability to remain calm in even the most stressful of situations, something she had learned from Ash during their travels together, never to get nervous or scared no matter hat she was faced with, no matter the odds. so why was she so nervous now then? was it the prospect of performing to hundreds maybe thousands of people? or was it the prospect of that one person watching her, her desire to impress him and to entertain, to make him think more of her…yea that was it, it was all Ash's fault.  
after what seemed like an eternity the rail-car juddered to a halt, and instantly they were hit by a sheer sense of space. the underground back stage area was huge in itself, they being deeper down than they had originally thought, the ceiling was now high and vaulted above them, though of course it was artificial, it would part when it was time for the sets and actors to appear on stage.

"err w-we're not doing it down here a-are we?" Lily asked, a hint of nervousness about her too, though this was more to do with being stuck under ground in a place that looked remarkably reminiscent of a tomb.

"well if we can like, persuade someone to take us up then we can like, get a feel for the place." Daisy replied, also not particularly keen on staying here to rehearse, and she immediately went off in search of someone to help them out. Misty remained behind, looking around at all of the oddly shaped masses around her. the oddly shaped masses were, in fact, the various different sets and stages. they were all covered with massive white sheets so as to prevent them from becoming dusty or taking any damage, yet it did give quite a daunting impression. Misty didn't mind though, these things didn't bother her. it was showing herself up in front of so many other people that unnerved her, particularly showing herself up in front of Ash.

"Misty! get over here, we're like, going up!" came Violet's voice, and Misty reluctantly wove her way through the maze of sets to where the voice had come from. she found it quite suddenly, as she passed a large forest-set and found herself staring out over a large open space. all of the backstage equipment and controls were laid out around the walls, and in the centre was the massive stage platform. on the platform their set had been moved into position, though it was still under wraps so all Misty had to go on was what she could remember of the blue prints from when they had been discussing stage directions.

"like, about time!" Daisy said once Misty had finally appeared next to her

"the set looks good" Misty said despondently, making a point of the fact that she could still see nothing but a white, fairly featureless mass.

"yea we know that" Lily replied, "someone thought it would be a good idea to like, ask you to uncover it"

"oh?" Misty asked, surprised "why?"

"because you're gonna be like, the star of the show on this set!" Daisy said excitedly, "we've all like, got other stuff but this is the one you'll be using and it's like, the big finale. it's your job to uncover it"

"oh, well…thanks…I guess" Misty replied, not too sure how to react in such a situation

"well go on! let's see it!" Violet prompted, and Misty obliged. she pulled tentatively on the white material, not too hard for fear of breaking something, however when it didn't come on the first attempt she got impatient and gave it a hearty tug. this time it worked, and the white blanket fell gently to earth…on top of Misty and her sisters, and the man who was to assist them in raising the platform. apparently, the blanket had been doing a very good job of keeping dust off of their set, however once it had been removed; the blanket, and all of the accompanying dust, landed on the small group below and they all emerged some seconds later, coughing and spluttering, and completely covered in the dust that had built up.

"oh…nice one" Lily spluttered

"well it wasn't my fault" Misty spluttered back. she shook her hair sending sheets of dust flying, but at least now it was restored to some of its former splendour, colour and shine. the fact that some of the dust from Misty's hair landed on Lily was just an added bonus.  
once they were completely dusted off they turned their attention back to the task of getting up onto the main stage, and the man whom Daisy had brought along to help seemed to be too busy trying to impress the four beautiful girls around him to actually do his job, and he pressed several wrong buttons before finally finding the switch that would take them up. he continued talking to them and eyeing them up for the entire trip however and, though it was only a short amount of time they would have to put up with him, Daisy lost her temper before they were even half way up.

"look, I don't know what I said to make you like, start hitting on us or anything, but we're not interested!" she yelled

"what none of you?" the man replied, a distinct air of disappointment in his tone

"nope" Daisy replied, followed by a 'nope' from Lily and then a 'nope' from Violet.

"and I'm taken" Misty replied quietly, causing a couple of quick sideways glances from her sisters before they turned back to fending off the annoying man

"so you can just like, get us up here, do your job, and stop hitting on us!" Violet finished, the triumphant victory over the defeated looking man, who blushed bright red and nodded, before pulling hard on the lever and increasing the speed of the lift.  
they reached the top quickly after that and emerged into the dazzling sunlight, stunned by the sheer size of the place from where they were positioned, now right in the centre.

"right well we'd better like, get started I suppose" Daisy said, signalling to the man to turn on the pumps, and the massive glass tank immediately began to fill with water

"there you go" Violet said, handing the mermaid costume to Misty, "we're doing the water scenes first

"what?! but the tank isn't full yet!" Misty exclaimed, just as the man operating the super-powered pump called that the tank was full "and it's freezing, I'm cold as I am, without some skimpy mermaid outfit!"

"look it isn't like, gonna get any warmer so you might as well quit complaining and go get changed!" Violet replied

"I'm sure you'll look terrific" the man who had accompanied them put in hopefully, but he received such a deathly look from Misty that he back-pedalled instinctively and tripped over a power cable.

"well where can I get changed?" Misty asked, finally resigning to her fate

"if you take the stairs back down, there's changing rooms down there" Violet answered, before leaving to go and join the other two as they supervised the layout of the finer aspects of the set.

about half an hour later saw Misty sitting on the edge of the tank shivering from the cold, dressed in her mermaid outfit and longing for Daisy to finish her on-going explanation of the directions so she could sink into the comparatively warm water. she had long since curled herself into a ball to try and keep in as much heat as possible, yet the mermaid outfit hardly covered anything, and so in keeping her waist warm she left her back and shoulders cold, and vice versa. by now she was cold all over, and had abandoned any attempts to make herself otherwise, just sitting on the edge of the tank and waiting for it all to be over. she was also painfully aware of the annoying little man who had come up with them. he had seemed very keen to stick around once he learned what Misty was to be performing as, and had now completely abandoned his work to sit and stair at the beautiful figure on top of the tank. beautiful she may have been, but Misty would have much preferred being away from this man, along with the many other admirers she seemed to be getting as her continuing stay on top of the tank began attracting technical staff from all over the stadium, taking a break from the work to what they could only assume to be a modelling competition of some kind.

"are you lot nearly done yet?" Misty called down to where Daisy, Lily and Violet were debating the best way for Misty to act out some obscure scene or another

"nearly" Lily called back, and Misty sighed. they had said nearly every time she asked, and she knew that they would probably be arguing for at least another half an hour. with a resigned groan both from boredom and cold, Misty pushed herself up from the edge of the tank and dived to the bottom, swimming deep down to join her Pokemon who had taken up residence there, and would continue to do so whilst the play was being performed.  
the water allowed Misty to calm her mind, and she began to sink into that dreamy feeling she always got when swimming, particularly with her Pokemon. it was this quality that allowed her to perform so gracefully in the water, but it didn't come from practise like most people would have said. no Misty's talent came naturally, and came as a result of her ability just to drift off in the water, to let the movement take her and abandon all troubling thoughts and ideas, leaving them behind at the surface. it was as she sank into this dreamy sensation however that Ash came into her mind, and he remained there for the rest of the day…

with Ash – chapter 8

the day of the party dawned bright and early to varying reactions all over the Plateau. most people awoke with a feeling of anticipation, the day of the party causing them no end of excitement, and such was the case for Dawn and Brock as they awoke a little before noon, having stayed up too long watching some film or another. Ash had been awake for a while before; unable to sleep soundly he was not excited so much as worried. his nerves were shot; he was going to do it today! he was going to ask Misty today!...he wasn't ready! he hadn't got a speech, he didn't know when he would be seeing her, he didn't know how and when to approach the situation, he was completely unprepared. Pikachu had been awoken by Ash's pacing up and down the room, still not having got dressed, his nerves bringing him almost to the point of panic. Pikachu had been unable to offer much assistance though as he was still not really awake, and in any case Ash was too busy talking to himself to have paid any attention to anything said to him at that moment.

the five star hotel in which Misty was staying remained quiet until well into the afternoon however. Daisy, Lily and Violet had gone out earlier in the day to make the final preparations to the set and stage for the performance later, however Misty was so tired from all that had happened the day before that she remained asleep until well into the afternoon, dreaming sweet dreams and almost all of them were about what was going to happen later that day.

later on in the day, just as the afternoon was beginning to draw to a close, things in the small hotel were even more tense than they had been before.  
Brock and Dawn had suggested going out, but Ash didn't want to. they had suggested watching the TV, but again Ash didn't want to. it wasn't that he was being stubborn and selfish though, for he had made it quite clear that if they wanted to go out then they should go and leave him behind, but the other two were quite worried about their friend's erratic behaviour, and were anxious to calm him down.

"Ash? Ash! sit down!" Brock commanded finally after Ash had tripped himself on his continued pacing around the room, colliding with a table and sending several plastic mugs clattering to the floor. Ash consented and sat down on the sofa in between Brock and Dawn but he was still restless, fidgeting and moving around, unable to sit still.

"you need to relax!" Dawn said loudly, holding Ash down on the sofa with a hand on his shoulder as Brock was doing

"I can't!" Ash replied

"why not?"

"because I'm bloody terrified!"

"well then calm down and tell us what's getting you so worked up, and maybe we'll be able to help" Brock said calmly, and Ash took several deep breaths before settling back down on the sofa again

"what I'm going to do tonight…I want to do it, it's not that I'm not ready but…well it is. I have no idea what I should say or anything! but I want it to come from me…I just don't know how to say it" Ash said quietly

"if you want it to come from you then just let it" Dawn said kindly, "just say what you feel and that'll be it"

"but if…if Misty doesn't feel like that about me, I'll just have made a complete idiot of myself and I'll just push her away from me" Ash said, his worry clearly showing through.

"Ash look" Brock said, looking Ash in the eye "I travelled with you and Misty for years. right from the beginning I could see that you two liked each other, and I wasn't the only one. everyone saw it, everyone except you two anyway. I saw how much you cared for Misty, but I also saw how much she cared for you, and I know she was going to tell you so many times, only she felt she couldn't. she told me that herself when we left you on your way to Hoenn. I walked back with her for a little way and she told me, and she was crying, and you know she only ever does that when it's serious"

"but…" Ash tried, but Brock interrupted him.

"look" he said forcefully, "the only reason you both have this trouble telling each other this, is because you convince yourself that you won't get the answer you want. you keep telling yourself that she only sees you as a friend, and then you end up believing it, but to everyone else it's clear that your bond means so much more to both of you!"

"ok chill out!" Ash said forcefully, taken aback by how worked up Brock seemed to be now, and Brock wasn't the one about to…to do 'it'.

"sorry" Brock said, calming down, "I guess I'm just nervous for you, and annoyed at how long it's taken you to finally do this!"

"whereas you just throw yourself at every pretty woman in sight and hope to get lucky" Dawn objected, a tinge of bitterness in her tone, "at least Ash has waited until he found someone special to him, not just a random Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny"

Ash was watching this with amusement. here they were, his two friends, arguing with each other about Ash's problem, and it really was quite funny! Dawn was far younger than Brock, she had never been in the situation that he, and now Ash had been in, yet she seemed to have a very clear idea about the ethics of it, and it was also clear that she much preferred Ash's situation to the one Brock frequently put himself in.

"ok guys this isn't really helping!" Ash said loudly, stopping Dawn and Brock from tearing at each others throats which they were perilously close to doing.  
"actually no, carry on, I'm gonna take your advice Dawn" Ash continued, finally reaching his resolve "I'll stop worrying about it, and see what come out…yep, that would be best"

Brock and Dawn looked at Ash closely for a few seconds, and it was clear to them that Ash would be unable not to worry about it. he couldn't be blamed though, this was a first for him, and a first for them too. none of them had ever done what Ash was about to do, though they knew how important it was and what it would mean.

"well…ok then" Brock consented

everyone was silent for a while; Dawn and Brock calming down from their fight whilst Ash took deep breaths to try and steady his nerves. it would have been a lot easier had he managed to see Misty again before the night, yet when he had gone out the day before to try and find her he had been barred access to the hotel she would most likely be staying at because it was 'for private use only'. the look on the porters face as he had surveyed Ash clearly showed that he had wanted to continue and say 'no riffraff allowed' but he was very professional and so settled with giving the boy a superior look. Ash had done his best to get some information on Misty's whereabouts from the porter but all he had managed to get was that Misty was out, and would likely not be back before the evening. as such, Ash had been unable to see Misty again as he had hoped, and that just served to heap the pressure on tonight, the night when he would ask the question…

"what time is it?" he asked finally, unable to bare the silence any longer.

"err…about seven, so we'd probably better be going" Brock answered, glancing at the clock on the wall which Ash must have missed

"oooh I can't wait, this is gonna be awesome" Dawn said excitedly, jumping up and pulling the other two to their feet with her, "lets go and get changed, and don't forget the 'you know what' Ash!" and with that, she ran out of the room.

"she's right, we'd better be getting ready" Brock said, getting up and taking his outfit from where it was hung on the coat hanger. when he turned around though, Ash was still sitting on the sofa, staring at the floor with that small blue flower in his hand again  
"err Ash?" Brock tried, "ASH!!!"

"huh? what?"

"we need to get changed, and this isn't your room!" Brock said, making sure Ash had heard him quite clearly.

"oh right…yea sorry, I'll go get changed then" Ash replied, his expression still distant, before rising slowly from the chair and walking out of the room.   
Brock watched him as he left, a mixture of amusement and concern on his face. no matter how long he had known Ash, the boy could still pull off some surprises, yet this had to be one of the biggest yet. 

fifteen minutes later and the four of them (Pikachu included) were assembled on the fourth floor corridor, all dressed up and ready to go. Dawn and Brock had forgotten about their vow to attack Ash with the makeup in an attempt to make him a little more vampire-like, and in any case even had they remembered it was doubtful that they would have followed through on their threat, especially now that they knew just how serious Ash was about what he wanted to do.  
they descended the stairs down to the bottom floor; Dawn, Brock and Pikachu all chattering away excitedly to each other but Ash remained silent. he dragged behind, still seeming distant and it was only when he nearly tripped on the stairs that he decided that it might be best to concentrate, at least for the moment, until he was out of the immediate danger of having his neck broken. they were descending the steps to the ground floor by this point anyway and so there wasn't much further to go, yet when they were in the lobby they heard the old porter calling them

"you going to see that girl of yours tonight then?" he called, addressing Ash

"and more…" Dawn called back with a grin, tapping her forth finger and winking. 

"oh ho, well best of luck to you then laddy" the porter called after them as Ash and co. walked out of the door and out into the street.

the party didn't start until nine, so they were still about an hour and a half early. even so, there was already a large amount of people moving in the direction of the Plateau, and more and more were joining from every street. everyone was dressed up, sporting lamps and even a few pumpkins. their Pokemon too in many instances accompanied them, trotting alongside or perched on head or shoulder as Pikachu was, with a few more flying above. the party atmosphere had already kicked in, everyone was shouting and laughing, dancing and, occasionally, drinking too. through all of this walked Ash, Dawn and Brock, the atmosphere infectious and even Ash was dragged out of his thoughts to have some fun.  
Brock managed to grab three pint glasses from a passing Irish-man, dressed as a leprechaun much to everyone's amusement, whilst Dawn and Ash managed to obtain some pumpkin lamps for each of them. and so they made their way, running, jogging, hopping and skipping, towards the stadium, where more than just the mood of the party would be decided before the end of the night…

with Ash and Misty – The Finale!

the fireworks started as soon as the first of the crowds reached the road leading straight into the arena. Misty had been right when she looked on it the day before, it really was a magnificent sight.  
fireworks erupted from the bushes lining the road, whilst Catherine wheels hung on posts on each side and sparkling Halloween signs hung over the top. there was music playing, lights and fireworks flying all around, and through it all the crowds made their way into the stadium, the party really having begun now. amongst those crowds, fairly near the front, were Ash, Dawn, Brock and Pikachu, and they were amongst the first hundred or so to arrive at the entrance to the stadium. at the entrance, most of the people turned left and into the public sector from which point they could access the stands. those holding priority tickets however were asked to remain to one side, so as their tickets could be checked and they could be led to their allocated seats actually in the stadium, closest to the stage. this process was a long one, as it turned out that many more people had managed to get the priority tickets than had been expected. as such, there were too few staff available to quickly process the ticket holders, and the first acts had started before Ash, Brock and Dawn had even made it half way down the line. they would have been much nearer the front had not Dawn dragged them off to one of the shops that were now open, and of course they had to do something about food too, but by the time they had got back to the cue bearing burgers and hotdogs, they found that their places had been taken by at least a hundred new comers with more arriving every second. what was slowing the process down however was the fact that there were many non-ticket holders trying to pass off as priority guests, and of course they had to be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

there was no risk of them being dreadfully late, and they were steadily approaching the front of the cue however Ash going through considerable agony being made to stand still for long periods of time like this. he knew Misty was close, and he also knew that his time was close too. the tension was unbearable, he couldn't help but think about everything that could go wrong with his plan, about what would happen if Misty said no…it was no good, he couldn't stand here any longer, he would have to see her. taking his opportunity at a time when the security guards and ticket collectors were fully occupied, Ash sneaked away from Brock and Dawn, and made his way towards the door marked private.

Dawn noticed him go and made to follow, but was stopped by Brock who did his best both to prevent Dawn from following, and to remain inconspicuous whilst doing so. this he succeeded in accomplishing, and whispered his explanation to Dawn so as no one would over hear, and so allowing Ash to continue his search for Misty unhindered.

to Ash's dismay he found himself in a long and rounded corridor, the same as Misty had arrived in earlier that day. he had no idea where to look either, but there were so many doors to check it would take forever. still though he had no choice, and so made his way around as quickly as possible, stopping at each door and peering inside, but to no avail.  
Ash continued searching like this for a long time. too long it felt like, and he began to worry that he wouldn't find Misty at all. outside him the shows must have been over half way over by now, given that most of the acts were small and they were leaving time for the contests and battles to take place afterwards. still though Ash had no idea where Misty was, nor for how much farther this corridor continued for. it seemed to last forever, just going around in an endless circle until, after another period of searching, he finally came upon the end and the last door. this was it surely, Misty must be on the other side, it was time to do this! Ash stepped forwards determinedly, pushing the door open and stepping through, readying himself to see her again and trying to think quickly of how to begin. as he opened his eyes though he found…no one, there was no one there save for one man in a corner by a switch.  
the man was surprised at Ash's sudden appearance, and seemed unsure of how to act in such a situation

"err hey can you tell me where I can find Misty Waterflower?" Ash asked, hoping against hope that the man would have a heart and help him out rather than detain him

"err who?" the man asked, puzzled

"Misty Waterflower!" Ash said in desperation, "she's with the sensational sisters of Cerulean city, she's in the finale tonight and I need to see her before she goes on…"

"Misty…Misty…" the man repeated quietly, apparently racking his brains until the penny suddenly dropped. "ahh yea!" he said, and Ash lit up in hope "red hair, tallish, really great figure, nice…"

"yea that's her" Ash interrupted, matching the mans description to Misty yet hiding his disgust at the same time as to what he knew the man had been about to say

"yea she's back stage now" the man answered

"err how do I get there?" Ash asked nervously

"well you can't, it's restricted" the man answered simply

"oh please!" Ash pleaded, getting desperate now, "please I really have to see her, I have to give her this!" he delved into his pocket and drew out the velvet box, flipping the lid to reveal the contents.

as much as the man had been disappointed at the news that Misty was taken, and as distasteful as he could be, he couldn't bring himself to stop the boy who was so keen, so desperate to see the girl…

"oh alright then, but I could lose my job for this" he finally consented, to an audible sigh of relief from Ash, "it's down there" he said, indicating the lift at the side of the room "just take that down and ride the rail-car to the backstage area. her act is on last so you've got a bit of time left, but you've left it quite late"

"I know, but thanks anyway" Ash called back as he ran to the lift, skidding inside and hitting the down button repeatedly to try and get the elevator moving. such was the tension and anticipation in him that every second seemed like an age, and the longer he staid still the more agitated he became. when at last the lift pinged open Ash ran out and leapt on the rail-car, pressing the button that he hoped would get it moving. he had found the right button luckily, but the rail car moved at a snails pace and, after about five seconds of waiting, Ash decided that he would be better off running.  
it was a long way, but Ash was naturally athletic and full of energy and so he carried on, beating the rail-car by quite a distance as he sprinted down the tunnel, stumbling once or twice on the occasional jutting bolder but he carried on going, and eventually emerged into a small hive of activity.  
he had found the underground backstage area, and the activity was that of the various staff and performers, most of whom had already finished their acts and were making ready to leave. Ash had no idea how long it had taken him to get there, but he was sure that it had been too long and that there could be few, if any, acts left. for all he knew he could have missed Misty already.  
Ash weaved his way through the various sets and people, looking for that one special person, the person he had been longing to see since they had long parted, and the person he had been most nervous about seeing.  
he found her eventually as he came out of the forest of stage sets, wondering straight onto the massive raising platform.  
the Sensational Sisters set was already in position, and so were they by the looks of things though Ash couldn't see Daisy, Lily or Violet anywhere, just the one figure sitting alone at the top, so beautiful as she sat, his little mermaid.  
without pausing for thought, Ash ran forwards and placed his hands on the scaffolding before starting to climb up to the level where Misty sat. this was it, this was where he would confess and this was where he would ask the question, oh if only he knew how he would go about it…

there were only a few minutes left before the platform would rise and Misty's nerves were at breaking point. the crowd was huge, and she could tell that just from the noise coming from above her. she felt so alone as she sat atop her set, ready to perform in front of all of those people. it wasn't long before she remembered that meeting with Ash again, and the comfort she had felt when he had her in his arms and she longed to be there again, she longed to see him again. she would too, she would see him in this act, they would kiss…but would it really mean anything?  
so caught up in her thoughts was she, that Misty didn't notice as a figure climbed up the scaffolding behind, pulling himself up to her level and walking quietly over, to sit down next to her with a thump, and it was the thump that caught her attention.

"what the…? Ash? what are you doing here?!"

"I…couldn't wait to see you again, sorry" Ash replied sheepishly, already blushing hotly, as was Misty

"no need to be sorry, I'm glad you're here" Misty replied quietly, and silence followed. both of them were itching to continue, to say more but somehow it just wouldn't come, they couldn't find the words for it, and so they simply sat and stared into each others eyes.  
suddenly though, a jolt told them that the set had begun moving. they were going up, being raised up high and soon they would emerge on the stage in front of the thousands of watching people. for some reason though neither of them seemed to mind, not at first anyway, for they had not really noticed. as they gazed at each other, deep meanings seemed to be passing unsaid between them, something in the eyes of the other explaining the feelings they had better than words ever could, and even as they gazed the truth became clear, they knew it.

"Misty…ever since I met you you've been my best friend" Ash began quietly.   
the stage was still rising slowly towards the top yet all of this was going unnoticed, as both Ash and Misty knew that now was the time to say it, now was the time to admit.

"more than just my best friend" Misty whispered, placing a gentle hand on Ash's cheek as he did the same to her.

"and for so long I wanted to tell you…" Ash continued

"but I…I didn't know how to start…" Misty said.  
they were standing now, holding together hand in hand but linked more deeply than mere physical contact

"and when I'm apart from you…

"It's like…it's like I can't breath" Misty said

"it hurts" Ash agreed.  
they were leaning closer by this point, mere inches away from what they knew would be the defining moment, the moment when their lips would meet, and they would share their first kiss.

"I…" they began together, but both stopped as the roof opened and they were met by the cool breeze, the buzz of chatter and the occasional bang of a firework. the set raised the final two feet, and then locked into place.  
everything around them became deathly silent, as the crowd saw what was happening on stage. from the way he was dressed it was clear to the audience that he probably wasn't supposed to be there at all, yet such was the feeling already conveyed by the moment that all of the thousands of people were silenced, captivated by the scene and how it would turn out.

"hey he like, isn't supposed to be there yet!" Violet exclaimed in a whisper to Daisy and Lily who were either side. none of them knew what was going on yet, rather than interrupt what was happening which would be both very cruel and very unprofessional, they decided to let it play out.

Misty looked around at the see of expectant faces nervously, but Ash had eyes only for her, and soon she was drawn back to meet his gaze due to simple desire.

"from the moment I met you I've always loved you Misty" Ash said, his voice carried around the entire stadium by the microphones which had switched on automatically but he didn't care, there was only one thing in the world he could care about now and she was standing in front of him now, their hands holding together.

"and I'll love you until the day I die Ash" Misty replied, quietly, but her voice also carried.  
this was it, this was Ash's moment and he would do it, he had to do it, there seemed to be no better place for it. he dropped to one knee, never once taking his eyes away from her for fear that she would vanish and leave him alone

"Misty Waterflower…" he began, rummaging in his pocket until he found the small box, before withdrawing it, opening it and holding it out to Misty, "will you marry me?"

everyone was silent, the tension unbearable as they awaited the answer to the question. this was something completely different to that advertised in the program, and yet it was the best thing the audience had seen all night. these two clearly shared a love for each other so deep that no act could cover it, no pretence could do it its full justice, yet they were now, tonight, lucky enough to witness its climax.

Misty looked from Ash, his face the one she had dreamt about every day since they had been parted, and that was now in front of her again for real. his eyes, those deep hazel eyes so enticing and so warm she felt she could just sink right into them. from him down to the ring in the box he was offering to her, the beautifully intricate golden ring adorned with a shining aqua-marine stone in the centre, and augmented with diamonds on either side of the centrepiece. from the ring she looked up and around, the thousands of expectant faces all waiting, transfixed, to hear the answer. she already knew what she would say, and was now so confident in it, in everything, that she even deliberately sustained the tension as long as possible before finally turning back to Ash with the warmest and most loving smile she had ever shown

"Ash…there's nothing I want more than to be with you, in your arms, forever…of course I'll marry you"

there was silence for a few seconds more, but as Ash rose to his feet, flushed yet ecstatic with joy nevertheless, slipping the ring onto Misty's finger…they drew closer, and closer together, and then they kissed, finally, after all of these years of hiding and pretending.  
the applause that followed was deafening, the loudest that would be heard all night as people clapped and cheered the two young lovers. that had been quite the show, it had risen tears to the eyes of many of the onlookers, including Dawn and Brock below in the audience, with Pikachu in Ash's chair. it had taken them so long to finally admit it to each other, yet now they had, and they had done it in a way that would never be forgotten.

"I love you Ash" Misty whispered, so quietly as only Ash could hear above the continuing applause, cheers, whistles and the like

"I love you more" Ash replied, teasingly. they were together now, together forever and in love. but still, that didn't mean they weren't allowed to argue like they used to did it? they had both quite missed that.  
the argument never came though, not tonight at least, as Ash closed the gap between them and their lips locked together before the retort could come out.

this would be a night that no one would forget, least of all Ash and Misty for they were together at last, no longer apart, and they would be together forever now they knew, for nothing could drive them apart now, nothing on earth or in heaven – they were bound together by the strongest lock known - love


End file.
